Process for treating tobacco, &amp;c.



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEOIRG MONTAG, OF MANNHEIM, GERMANY, ASSIGNOR '10 GESELLSCHAFT FIJ 'RTABAK- VEREDELUNG M. B. H., OF MA'NNHEIM, GERMANY.

PROCESS FOR TREATING TOBACCO, 850.

No Drawing.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEoRe MONTAG, inventor, citizen of the Grand Duchyof Baden, in Germany, residing at 28 Itiedfeldstrasse, Mannheim, in theGrand Duchy of Baden, Germany, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Processes for Treating Tobacco or to Convert otherFoliages into Tobacco-Like Leaves; and I do hereby declare the followingto be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such aswill enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make anduse the same.

Experiments have been made to improve common tobacco plants by treatingthem with a lixivium obtained from better kinds of tobacco. Suchexperiments, however, have not led to any practical result because thematerials were not used in their natural condition as regards theircomposition, but chemicals or hot water were used for the lixiviation.As a consequence, many aromatic constituents of the tobacco were drivenoff, so that an artificial product was obtained whose taste and smellwas quite different from those of natural tobacco.

The present invention relates to a process for treating tobacco or toconvert other foliage into tobacco-like leaves, in which process thetobacco material used retains its natural components.

In its general form the process consists in pressing out the juice,hereinafter called the lixivium, from green tobacco leaves in a coldcondition, which is then treated in warm condition together with lessvaluable kinds of tobacco plants in green condition, whose juice isdisplaced by the lixivium so that a better kind of tobacco is obtained,containing all the natural constituents. It is of advantage to firstallow the liXivium to ferment, which, on afterward being heated, willalso cause the green tobacco of less value soaked therein to ferment,but still the fermentation of the lixivium need not take placebeforehand, but can also begin simultaneously with the heating. Thetreatment of the green leaves with the lixivium is carried out at amoderate temperature and 0c cupies little time, a few hours, at themost. In this way the home tobacco plant can be Specification of LettersPatent.

Patented Nov. 16, 1909.

Application filed. July 29, 1908. Serial No. 445,999.

improved by the liXivium obtained from foreign tobacco. The process has,further, the advantage that it is not necessary to wait until the hometobacco is perfectly ripe, so that time can be saved, and, indeed,several harvests of home tobacco are possible. For example, the unripetobacco, such as suckers (that is the side shoots of the tobacco plant)can be soaked in the lixivium and a quick fermentation will then beobtained, which is quite independent of the weather. This is ofparticular importance in such countries, in which the sun has notsufficient power to finish the fermentation. In this way, the unripetobacco leaves can be artificially ripened and time saved. Inconsequence of the perfect fermentation with the lixivium at a moderatedegree of heat, the common kinds oftobacco, such as are found inGermany, are rendered weaker and milder, even when the fermentation ofthe green tobacco leaves is effected by a lixivium obtained from greenleaves of the same kind of tobacco.

The present invention also comprises the conversion of the leaves ofother plants, such as those of the rose and chestnut trees, ofbeet-root, turnips and sorrel, into tobaccolike materials, the processbeing carried out in the same way, that is, by pressing the lixivium outof green tobacco leaves, and by then soaking the leaves of such plantsin the lixivium in a warm condition.

The process is of special value for the industry, because it enables theheretofore valueless parts of the tobacco plant to be utilized, whichwere thrown away or used as manure. In addition to the side shoots ofthe tobacco plant, the stalks etc. can be used.

By way of example the process may be carried out as follows: Greentobacco leaves, side shoots and stalks etc. are cutdown in a greencondition, and then brought into a press, for example, into a screw orfruit press. The lixivium is pressed out at a considerable pressure in acold condition and a gray juice is obtained, which amounts to about 50%of the weight of the pressed material,the remaining 50% being the driedplant. It is of importance that the leaves are pressed while in a greenunfermented condition. This gray lixivium can be used at once to treatthe plants .to be improved, in which case its fermentation can bebrought about simultaneously with that of the leaves. It is, however, ofadvantage to allow said juice to ferment in closed vessels, beforetreating the leaves, in which case a thick sediment is deposited,leaving a bright liquid over the same, which is drawn off into an openor closed vessel. In pre paring the lixivium no heat is employed andthis feature is important.

If it is desired to improve the quality of bad tobacco, the lixivium ofthe side shoots, stems, or of the green leaves of a better kind oftobacco is used. The less valuable kind of tobacco is placed in anearthenware oven in a green condition, whereupon the lixivium is pouredover the same, so that the tobacco is well covered. The mixture is thenheated to about 3586 C. boiling being avoided. The less valuable tobaccojuices are then partly or entirely displaced and replaced by the goodlixivium. The green leaves are then wet and yellow and theirfermentation completed. hen dry such leaves can be used at once formaking cigars etc. If the lixivium of green tobacco leaves is used toimprove green tobacco leaves of the same kind an artificial ripening orfermentation takes place, which is independent of the weather andeffects a considerable saving. Before drying the leaves thus treated,the superfluous lixivium which is then of less value is pressed oif fromthe leaves and can be used again. Not only proper tobacco leaves butalso less valuable green tobacco leaves can be treated with the lixiviumof better kinds of tobacco. For example, the lixivium obtained out ofthe side shoots of the better kinds of foreign tobacco can be importedand the side shoots of the less valuable kind of home tobacco may betreated with such lixivium in the manner described.

The used lixivium, or also that obtained di rect from the side shoots ofthe tobacco plant, according to the process above described, can also beemployed to convert other kinds of leaves, such as those of the rose andchestnut trees or of turnips, beet-root and sorrel, which, when sotreated, can also be used for making cigars etc. Beet-root containssugar and has a sweet taste in smoking, while sorrel is sour and istherefore an imitation of the Havana cigar. The process for example isas follows: The dry suckers or side shoots of the tobacco plant areplaced, together with the green dried leaves of the other plant, inlayers over each other, and the lixivium, for example, that alreadyused, as above explained, is poured thereover. The mixture is thenheated in an oven until the lixivium has replaced more or less the juiceof said leaves. The wet leaves are then of leaves treated as above isvery suitable for making cigars.

In the finished product the constitutent parts have been altered by theaction of the lixivium so that the 1 are e ual in value to tobaccoleaves. Even the suckers or side shoots, which were formerly thrownaway,

because they never became ripe, have now the same value as the goodripened tobacco leaves. 7

hat I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United Statesis 1. The hereindescribed process of manufacturing tobacco, whichconsists in extracting the juice from green unfermented tobacco in acold state by means of pressure, saturating leaves to be treated withsaid juice and then heating the saturated leaves.

2. The hereindescribed process of manu facturing tobacco, which consistsin extracting the juice from green unfermented tobacco in a cold stateby means of pressure, saturating leaves to be treated with said juice,and then heating the saturated leaves to about 35 degrees C.

3. The hereindescribed process of manufacturing tobacco, which consistsin extracting the juice from green unfermented to bacco in a cold stateby means of pressure, allowing the extracted juice to ferment,saturating the leaves to be treated with the fermented juice and thenheating the saturated leaves.

4. The hereindescribed process of manufacturing tobacco, which consistsin extracting the juice from green unfermented tobacco in a cold stateby means of pressure, allowing the extracted juice to ferment,saturating the leaves to be treated with the fermented juice and thenheating the satu rated leaves to about 35 degrees C.

5. The hereindescribed process of manufacturing tobacco, which consistsin extracting the juice from green unfermented tobacco in a cold stateby means of pressure, allowing the extracted juice to ferment in aclosed vessel, separating the juice from the sediment formed duringfermentation, saturating the leaves to be treated while in a greencondition with the separated juice and heating the saturated leaves toabout 35 degrees C. in an earthenware oven.

6. The hereindescribed process of manufacturing tobacco, which consistsin extracting the juice from green unfermented to bacco in a cold stateby means of pressure, allowing the BXEFQCCQCl JUlCG to ferment in aclosed vessel, separating the uice from the sediment formed duringfermentation, satu rating the leaves to be treated While in a greencondition with the separated juice, recovering the juice from thesaturated leaves by means of pressure and heating the pressed andsaturated leaves to about 35 degrees O.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention, I have signedmy name in presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

GEORG MONTAG.

Witnesses:

THEODOR OELENHEINZ, FRIEDRICH F t'IT'rERER.

